LEGIONELLOSE EN EUROPE

Confirming Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak by Genome-Based Method, Germany, 2012 - Volume 22, Number 7—July 2016. Suggested citation for this article To the Editor: We report an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in southwestern Germany.

On July 31, 2012, the State Health Agency of Rhineland-Palatinate was informed by the local health department of the city of Zweibrücken that 10 patients tested positive for Legionella pneumophila, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease. The onset of disease for all case-patients was from June 26 through July 25, which exceeded the yearly average of 1–4 patients a month. By August 23, we had received notifications of 19 patients with pneumonia and notification of 1 patient who did not exhibit pneumonia.

We set 3 parameters for reporting a patient as a Legionnaires’ disease case-patient. All case-patients were positive for L. pneumophila serogroup 1 urinary antigen.
THE GUARDIAN 14/11/12 London at risk of 'catastrophic' legionnaires' outbreak, report says. Legionella bacteria, which cause legionnaires' disease.

The HSE report found that compliance with health and safety requirements was inadequate at almost three-quarters of the sites inspected. Photograph: Alamy London could experience an outbreak of legionnaires' disease with potentially "catastrophic consequences" for people's health because of poor management of cooling towers and evaporative condensers near busy transport hubs and Olympic venues, according to a leaked Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report.

BMC Infectious Diseases 2014, 14:483 Virulence of Legionella pneumophila strains isolated from hospital water system and healthcare-associated Legionnaires’ disease in Northern Italy between 2004 and 2009. Study design This is an observational ecological study based on the data provided by the regional surveillance of legionellosis and on data obtained from hospitals environmental monitoring of Legionella.